// Crossing Platforms - 2013 MFACA Thesis Exhibition//

Crossing Platforms

May 18 – June 1, 2013
Reception: Thursday, May 23, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Visual Arts Gallery

School of Visual Arts presents “Crossing Platforms,” an exhibition of selected thesis projects from the MFA Computer Art Department. Curated by Charley Lewis and Hsiang Chin Moe, the exhibition will be on view from May 18 through June 1 (closed at 2pm on Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day) at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.

“Crossing Platforms” explores the themes and media of digital art. “MFA Computer Art Department graduating students showcase their talent and skill to get their stories and concepts across to their audiences,” say the curators. According to Department Chair Bruce Wands, “Digital art is rapidly emerging and taking a leading role in contemporary art. This exhibition is the another step forward in this evolution.” The exhibition highlights the unique multidisciplinary approach of the artists and includes 3D animation, motion graphics, experimental video, networked media, interactive/video/audio installations, digital fine art, and painting.

The MFA Computer Art Department emphasizes creativity and a multidisciplinary approach to making art with computers and emerging technologies. Dedicated to producing digital artists of the highest caliber, the department guides each student in the development of a personal artistic style in a course of study that is individually tailored to meet his or her needs. Students come from around the world to study in this two-year MFA degree program, which has distinguished itself with six Student Academy Awards. Please call 212-592-2778 for more information.

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than six decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, dynamic curriculum, and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprised of more than 6,000 students at its Manhattan campus and 35,000 alumni in 100 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 31 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.

The Visual Arts Gallery, located at 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, in New York City, is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and closed on Sundays and public holidays. The gallery will be closed from Friday, May 24 at 1PM through Tuesday, May 28. The gallery is accessible by wheelchair. For more information, call 212.592.2145.

Artist Credit: Daniel Sierra, Oscillate, copyright 2013

// Kurt Ralske: Rediscovering Futurism 1920-1929//

Kurt Ralske (MFA Computer Art faculty and MFA Art Criticism and Writing graduate 2012)’s exhibition is part of video_dumbo 2013 at Eyebeam, featuring the exhibition RE-RETURN TO SENDER, featuring works by Pascual Sisto, Daniel Kötter, Annica Cuppetelli and Cristobal Mendoza, Bram Snijders and Carolien Teunisse, Steina and Woody Vasulka, Chris Shen, and Christoph Meier. Kurt Ralske’s video installations and performances enact a dialogue with history: an exploration of the past that proposes a new view of the future.

This video installation by Kurt Ralske is part of the 8th edition of video_dumbo.

This year video_dumbo will take place in two venues:
Dumbo Arts Center:
The video installation Kurt Ralske: Rediscovering Futurism 1920-1929 from May 2 - 31.
Eyebeam, Art+Technology Center:
On view from May 14 - 25, video_dumbo will present fourteen video screening programs, alongside eight installation works under the title Re-Return to Sender.

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 2, 6-9pm
Live music performance by Daniel Carter on sax and Kurt Ralske on flugelhorn.

About Rediscovering Futurism 1920-1929: The Futurist movement, established by Marinetti in 1909, advocated a passion for technology and for fascism. Its direct influence was slight, but its twin obsessions defined the cultural life of pre-WWII Europe.

The newly rediscovered films of Eugen Schüfftan, created in the 1920s, reveal the lingering Futurist currents in Weimar Germany. Schüfftan, the cinematographer and special effects artist for Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” (1927), developed a complex technique of optical printing. His radically experimental films envision a curious world of machine-time and machine-space.

“Rediscovering German Futurism 1920-1929”, a project by Kurt Ralske and Miriam Atkin, boldly rewrites history. By presenting new interpretations of the cultural flows of the past, it inquires into our present-day perspectives on technology and power.

// 40th Annual Student Academy Regional Achievement - Hee Jin Kim & John Mattiuzzi//

Congratulations to Hee Jin Kim (2012 MFACA graduate) and John Mattiuzzi (2012 MFACA graduate). Both of their films, “Make a Wish” and “The Compositor” have been given 40th Annual Student Academy Awards Regional Achievement for Animation and Alternative categories.

Hee Jin Him’s “Make a Wish” (2012) is about a young woman goes to a wily magician to enhance her beauty and is forced to make a difficult decision. You can check out her trailer here.

John Mattiuzzi’s “The Compositor” (2012) is a neo-magico-surreal-autobiographical-futuristic-contemporary-psychological-experimental-coming-of-age-in-a-dark-comedy-fantasy-film that follows Paul, a New York City digital film compositor, struggling to decode his mind-body existence. While confronting the daily digital realities that he creates, Paul begins to submerge into the illusions that he is sworn to uphold. For information about “The Compositor” you can find out from the film official website, facebook and John Mattiuzzi’s twitter.

Along with MFACA alumni, several other SVA alumni have also received the same wonderful news. Congratulations to: Sang Ho Lee & Zack Lydon’s “Still I Breath” (BFA Computer Art) for Animation category, Rachel Loube’s “Every Tuesday” (MFA Social Documentary) for Documentary category and Amitabh Joshi and Erik Spink’s “Wonder Workshop” (MFA Social Documentary) for Documentary category!!! Congratulations to SVA!

// MFA Computer Art Thesis Presentations//

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) and the MFA Computer Art Department will host the MFA Computer Art 2013 Thesis Presentations. The event will be held over two days at the SVA Theatre and will include short talks and videos of graduating students’ work. Thursday presentations will highlight fine art and motion graphics. Friday night will feature 3D animation. Both events will be streaming live at new.livestream.com/MFAComputerArt/Thesis2013.
  
The presentations showcase our graduates’ approaches to different themes and modes of creative self-expression in the digital arts. Over 50 thesis projects incorporate a variety of media, materials and cutting-edge technologies that address a range of topics, including a 2D hand-drawn rotoscoping animation, which poetically conveys the filmmaker’s emotional response to the loss of her friend to cancer by motion graphic artist, Min Liu; an exploration of mixed media mural installation that combines traditional oil painting with new technologies that adds dimensionality to the flat image by digital fine artist, Alicia Martin; and a traditional hand-drawn animated short inspired by the stylistically unique animated works of the 1950’s and 1960’s UPA (United Productions of America) animation studio from animator, Kat Padua. The presenting artists also made use of different programming languages, digital fabrication methods, artificial intelligence, computer vision and human-computer interaction – as well as traditional art production methods to realize their creations. Linear video works include single and multi-channel installations exploring both narrative and abstract expression through 3D animation, motion graphics and traditional animation. Department chair Bruce Wands comments that, “We place a strong emphasis on creativity and personal vision. This is essential in the development of an artist. As SVA’s only graduate multidisciplinary department, our students have a broad palette of courses and a state of the art facility within which any idea in the digital and contemporary art realm can be realized.”

// 10x10 American Photobooks: May 3-5, 2013//

10x10 American Photobooks to open at Ten10 Studios on 3 May 2013

Press Contact:
ny10x10@gmail.com
www.10x10photobooks.org 

10x10 American Photobooks
May 3-5, 2013
Opening reception: Friday, May 3 from 7-9pm

Ten10 Studio
10-10 47th Road
Long Island City, NY
Subway: #7 Train to Vernon/Jackson Station

10x10 American Photobooks is a multi-platform photobook event with a reading room, online component and publication that presents American artists’ photobooks from the last 25 years. The project, which is co-sponsored by the International Center of Photography Library, Tokyo Institute of Photography and the Photobook Facebook Group will preview in New York and then travel to the Tokyo Institute of Photography for a 4-week run in September 2013. 

10×10 American Photobooks will present 100 contemporary American photobooks selected by 10 specialists in a reading room and an additional 200 books online from the perspective of 10 American and 10 Japanese online photobook specialists. (The Japanese online selection will be launched during the Tokyo preview in September 2013). By emphasizing the selections from the 30 leading voices in the photobook community, 10×10 will provide a concise and well-researched selection for both the seasoned and new viewer of contemporary American artists’ photobooks.

In addition to the exhibition, 10x10 will hold a panel discussion titled How independent and self-publishers are currently reshaping the American photobook?A conversation between project contributors David Senior / Museum of Modern Art Library, Christina Labey / Conveyor Arts, Nicholas Muellner / Self Publish, Be Happy will be moderated by independent curator Fionn Meade. The panel will take place on Sunday, 5 May 2013 at 3 p.m. Due to limited seating R.S.V.P. is required for panel attendance.

// MFA Computer Art Open Studios//

Here are some photos from the MFA Computer Art Open Studios reception that took place yesterday, April 18th. It was a blast! Thanks everyone who came out and showed their support!

// MFA Computer Art Open Studios//

The creative work encompasses a wide range of media including video, animation, audio, interactive installations & media, digital sculpture and physical computing. “As digital art evolves, the line between it and contemporary art is disappearing. We see it simply as artists using digital techniques to express their creativity.” states department chair Bruce Wands.

Exhibiting Artists
Meng Chih Chiang
Ga Hyun Kim
Joonsung Lee
Alicia Martin
Kamil Nawratil
David Rhoderick
Xun Wang
David Woo
Zhongyuan Zyia Zhang

// GH Hovagimyan: 3D Karaoke with the Kinect at Harvestworks//

[Mar 1] GH Hovagimyan: 3D Karaoke with the Kinect
Admission: FREE
Location: Harvestworks – www.harvestworks.org (596 Broadway, #602, New York, NY 10012)

According to Harvestworks: “It is no accident that GH Hovagimyan chose the idea of Karaoke for this work. Part of the work is a dialog with old media (mass media) represented by the form of pop music and our collective access to it. The Kinect camera is also an extension of many of his previous video performance works but in this case adding an interactive component. There is of course the ongoing position of DIY and Hacker culture that has allowed him to use the camera and create an open source project. His insistence has always been to focus on the creative process rather than creating a product for a market, whether it be the art market or the entertainment market.”

To read more about GH, please visit Harvestworks website!

// 5 MFACA Students Receiving SVA 2013 Alumni Awards!//

We would like to share a wonderful news with everyone that 5 of MFACA graduating students are receiving SVA 2013 Alumni Awards this year. The artists include: Min Liu, David Rhoderick, Xun Wang, David Woo and Zhongyuan Zyia Zhang. We are so very proud of every one of you. Below are their Thesis projects:

Min Liu - In the end, I realized… (working title)

This rotoscoping animation reveals Min’s perception of death based on her personal life experience of losing a friend to colon cancer. Min hopes to express death is not as fearsome as it may seem. We shall take it as part of life.

David Rhoderick - Exaptation 1

Exaptation 1 is an exploration of the use of tropisms in plants to convey an expression and message.  By creating a numerically controlled environment, a plant will be documented responding to light and watering in its hybrid existence of natural growth and information expression.

Xun Wang - IRON HANS

IRON HANS adapts traditional animation techniques to retell Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, which transport the viewer to Xun’s childhood bedroom when she would listen to books on tapes with her mind drifting between reality and dreams. Here is the blog for this project: http://ironhans.wordpress.com

David Woo - Unhappy Day Part 2

The most recent project, the Unhappy Day part 2 is an expansion of David’s previous video installation. It’s based on his experience being punished in Korean schools. Three sculptures, head, hand, and body, represent emotional destruction, gestural distortion, and physical injury. Each sculpture embeds one or more monitors that displays corresponding themes with motion reactive graphics.

Zhongyuan Zyia Zhang - Light Confusion

Light Confusion is a room-sized immersive installation. With LED lights and fluorescent acrylic panels moving around the space, audiences are guided into a surreal world to feel the existence of “FAKE”, like being lost in a daydreamy world.

Stay tune… we will announce our Thesis Presentation date/time so you can come check out their finished works. To see the complete list of award recipients, please visit the SVA Alumni Society website.